Arena baseball game system

Abstract

An Arena Baseball Game system and method for playing an electronic interactive spectator participation game incorporating many aspects of Rounders, Knickerbocker rules and Negro League baseball innovation “Night Baseball.” The method of play is disclosed, involving some of the same rules as American baseball with virtual interplay. Time is regulated by a game clock and balls may be deflected back as playable by a rebounding assembly that surrounds the arena field. The Arena method of play includes monitored base force out zones and means for ball game conclusion by predetermined “aces” or “runs” and time duration. The arena has a playing area surrounded by a wall structure such as pad and or panel walls and spectator protective vision enabled side covering. A baseball-like game played within an enclosed facility, wherein the game method of play rules and facility are designed for fast paced action.

I claim: 
     
       1. Arena baseball virtual reality system comprising: at least one game station including: at least one virtual reality space for being occupied by a user, the virtual reality space having a floor surface for supporting the user and outer boundaries of the virtual reality space, the floor surface extending to the outer boundaries of the virtual reality space;
 at least one virtual reality outfit having an input device for subjecting the user in the virtual reality space to visual and audio stimuli upon the receipt thereof and a plurality of output devices including a movement sensor for generating an output signal upon the detection of a movement of the user in the virtual reality space and an audio sensor for generating the output signal upon the detection of a vocalization of the user in the virtual reality space; and 
 a plurality of auxiliary sensory mechanisms for subjecting the user to various feeling sensory conditions upon the actuation of the mechanisms; and 
 a server connected to each game station and adapted to transmit the audio and visual stimuli and further actuate a predetermined number of the auxiliary sensory mechanisms as a function of each of the output signals of the game station; and 
 a card reader for removably accepting, reading, and writing on a card having a unique identification code and credits stored thereon; 
 a server situated remote from the game stations and connected to each of the game stations over a communication network via a pair of modems, the server being adapted to transmit the audio and visual stimuli, the server being adapted to actuate a predetermined number of the auxiliary sensory mechanisms via a first one of the modems as a function of each of the output signals of a predetermined number of the game stations and further as a function of the identification code and credits read by each card reader, the server further being adapted to transmit via a second one of the modems the audio and visual stimuli to a predetermined number of the game stations for storage in memory of the designated game stations; 
 and a plurality of viewing screens each connected to the server over the communication network for viewing the audio and video stimuli received by a selected one of the game stations: 
 (a) an interactive arena baseball-theme game that is played along with a live sporting event, the sports-theme game comprising: a score-keeping user interface comprised of a writable medium, the score-keeping user interface comprising an information area for recording scores for a home player and a visitor player, and an information area for recording innings and outs; a printed list displaying a plurality of possible outcomes and an associated point value for each of the possible outcomes, for a play of the live sporting event; 
 wherein a system for enabling spectators to follow play in an online game or other online event without requiring a spectator device to execute the online game or other online event; and 
 wherein one or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions for performing a system of distributing game telemetry data corresponding to a game session of a video game to a spectator client to allow a user of the spectator client to spectate the game session, said one or more computer storage media comprising steps of: receiving at a network location not joined in the game session, game telemetry data generated by one or more participant clients of the game session of the video game, each participant client executing the video game under the control of a corresponding participant player; 
 the network location creating a spectator feed by aggregating the received game telemetry data; 
 receiving a request for the spectator feed from a spectator client not participating in the game session; the network location sending the spectator feed over the computer network to the spectator client; executing the video game on the spectator client using the received game telemetry data wherein the game telemetry data comprises projectile information; and 
 wherein the one or more participant clients and the spectator client each comprise a game console; and 
 wherein the data streams comprise at least one of audio data and visual data provided by a media server to the spectator devices over at least one network; and 
 wherein the at least one network comprises at least one of the satellite, internet network, a telephone network, a local area network, a wireless network, a radio network, and a television network; and 
 wherein the plurality of possible outcomes comprises single, double, triple, home run, fly out, force out, ground out, and strike out; and 
 wherein the list displaying the plurality of possible outcomes further comprises balk, walk, dropped third strike, bit by pitch, pick-off, and stolen base; and 
 (b) an arena baseball game communication system comprising at least a first and second simulcast station at a first remote site, a system of generating information from an athletic event comprising: 
 receiving a first aspect of a first object in the athletic event; 
 receiving a second aspect of a second object in the athletic event; 
 determining a data representation with a processor based on the first aspect of the first object relative to the second aspect of the second object; 
 and storing the data representation in a data server communication system; 
 further comprises a plurality of simulcast stations distributed among a plurality of remote sites and where a subset of the plurality of simulcast stations communicates on the first communication resource and wherein the simulcast stations are connected by an Internet Protocol network and the simulcast stations that communicate on the first communication resource share a multicast Internet Protocol address; 
 and (c) a baseball system for handling a game event input between disparate software or hardware platforms, the system comprising: wherein the receiving a first aspect includes receiving a motion of a first object, and wherein the receiving a second aspect includes receiving a formation of a set of athletes in the athletic event, and wherein the determining a data representation includes determining or evaluating a play: an event module stored in memory and executable by a processor to: recognize an event game associated with a first platform, the event having semantic context, and translate the game event into a syntax recognizable by a second platform whereby the semantic context of the event associated with the first platform is communicated to a component of the second platform; 
 and software stored in memory and associated with the component of the second platform, wherein the execution of the software by a processor causes the translated syntax of the game event module to effectuate the semantic context of the event for the first platform at the component of the second platform. 
 
     
     
       2. A system for implementing the play of a sports competition game, the sports competition game comprising a modified version of American baseball and involving a plurality of players participating and a plurality of fans in attendance, the system comprising:
 (a) a planar field playing surface having an infield, an outfield, a home plate, a pitcher's mound, and at least three bases, each of the home plate and the at least three bases further comprising a force out zone around them; 
 (b) a padded fence wall extending up from and at least partially surrounding the field playing surface, the padded fence wall extending at least to a height sufficient to soften the impact of a player of the game when the player comes into contact with the padded fence wall; 
 (c) a clear vision-enabled panel wall extending up from the padded fence wall on at least a portion thereof, the vision-enabled panel wall positioned adjacent to the infield of the field playing surface, a portion of the panel wall closest to home plate forming a backstop wall; and 
 (d) a tension net wall extending up from the vision-enabled panel wall and/or the padded fence wall, the tension net wall at least partially enclosing a space around and above the field playing surface, the tension net walls comprising:
 (i) first and second side net walls positioned to either side of the field playing surface as directed outward from home plate; 
 (ii) an outfield net wall positioned opposite from home plate adjacent the outfield of the field playing surface; and 
 (iii) a ceiling net wall covering the field playing surface and connected to the first and second side net walls and the outfield net wall; 
 
 (e) a scoreboard display comprising a game time clock, and scoring indicia; 
 (f) an array of fan seats positioned outside but adjacent to at least a portion of the padded fence wall, the vision-enabled panel wall, the tension net wall, the array of fan seats placing the fans in attendance in close proximity to play of the game on the field playing surface; and 
 (g) a plurality of electronic devices for providing audience participation; 
 (i) a clock for time regulation; 
 (j) duration of the game may be divided into increments of time displayed by the game clock, said increments of time such as a whole, halves and/or quarters with overtime periods and within said increments rounds or turns at bat; 
 (k) a glow in the dark planar field playing surface having a phosphorous laden infield, an outfield, a home plate, a pitcher's mound, equipment, uniforms and at least three bases, each of the home plate and the at least three bases further comprising a force out zone around them; 
 (l) an infield and at least four bases, said base(s) having an outside diameter 
 and wherein the improvement comprising an outside diameter or distance from said base whereby an umpire may, by reference to the base to determine whether a player is positioned in close proximity to initiate or invoke base force zone rules of the game, whereby a defensive player within a predetermined distance and engaging the base in control of ball prior to offensive player does not require tag out. 
 
     
     
       3. The system for implementing the play of a sports competition game of clam  2  further comprising:
 (a) Ball tracking or wireless global positioning system sensors; 
 (b) Jai Alai baseball game equipment; 
 (c) Player tracking wireless or global position system sensors.